Document ZnVMvMy2MkxEQnzLBRvLn0dEV

W. fc. P(4P/qeoe^ - St, Lows Sanl Deaths In Cornwall Autumn 1969 HONS 033 793 For*'..:. tiI Tho occurrence of deaths amonct seal pupo in Cornwall in the autumn of l')>9 was inv.n.1ieatod trj tno Soalo heuearch Unit of U .'-iiC. Thu Officer in Charge of tho Scola Eoaeirch Unit gave interviews 10 tlir: press and info.-;.-J them of the progruuc of these investigations, Uow that tlwas aro complete, w thought if would V) in tho beat intercuts of overyoao if on extenoivu account vur produced. 'flu, following report in not in tho strict form of a scientific paper and it) ooinowhat more dlscuruivo; it is hopod lliat thoso receiving it will bear tliit) in min'). Uovortholoos, the inventlgstions reported ;md the corcluuioau roaohod have boon pursued with the utmost ooientific rigour. AokTOwl..td.Tomenta The Natural Environment Research Council (N E R C.) and the Sealo Revotiroh Unit arc muoh indebted for tho holp they rocoivod from people mentioned in the report, and in particular, for the oo-oporgtion they received from Mr. Jor.ox, who runs a seal sanctuary at St. Agnes in Cornwall, and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (R S P C A ). Tho faeilitiei: aoooruofi by the Ministry of Agrloulturo, Fisheries and Food (II A F F ) locally were of great nsuiotanoe and wo are particularly indebted to Mr. A.V. Holden of tho Department of Agrioulture and Fisheries for Scotland Fiuheries labor;:tory at Pitlochry, and to Hr. S.E. Allen of th Nature Conservancy's Merlewood Research Station for the chemical analyses. HONS 033794 CvimiOxrabli* public concern Who expressed in the autumn of 1?6<> fu] lowIti;: i-eporlo of dead and dying seals being wanliod up on Cornui 11 nhon*c. The rnpnrlr. |.i(fni*rd iminly to young unals but uluu to adult uo.-tlu uufrnriiv fpom lent 0:111 uiiii.l) worn dosoribed ho "burn murks". Tlioos roport.fr followed cloooly on tli** reported deaths of around ten thousand guillemotii nrid other birdu of tho nuk fondly in the rcijion of tlie Northern IriHh Uao in Septsmher am) October. . !!omo` of tliooa birdc worn found on examination to havs higher lnvolu of noma orpumicl'lorine oompoundn in thoir livers thin are normal]/ detected in routine Ii.onj toriand tliin loud to suggestions that the seal deatlm might be nimtlnrly connected wltli pollution. Tim IJEnO SeulH Iteoearoh Unit investigated tho event witli the help of various other Iirguil not ione and people. Most reports of nnaln were received ...... ."Ji Mr. K, Jones, who for the past nine years has run a non) nonuturoiy nt fit. Agnmi, and from Mr. 0. Griffiths, USPCA Inspector at Penzanon, The MAFF Vo! .j inory Investigation Centre at Truro carried out noire of the pont-mortem , i unlnationo, was responsible for all the bacteriologcal findings and provided Inborn tory and offloe feoilltles. Other orgunioatlons eseinted with annlyans of organs and tiiisuoe. The puna It )ioe been stated that more than 50 pup eeals have been found dead or ping on the Cornish coast. Hr. Jones lino given details of PI reports of seal ( 'ips in difficulties, of which lie has personally confirmed Ifl. Four pups ore till alive in his ears. Mr. Griffiths has recorded 1(3 seals, plus A peosed to Mr. Jones. One nlch pup, which subsequently died, was received from the lulus of Scilly. There is thus a total of i)0 reports concerning 36 seals which wore cither found dead or died soon afterwards. There were two reports from September, five from Octolier ninl the remainder from November and the early part of Dooember. Figure 1 shown the distribution of the dimd and dying pups, Mr. Jones says thnt ordinarily there are reports of n or '} pupa in <110'ioultioM each /.ear arid Mr. Griffiths mt('.,cuIn a nitnilar '`.irp'i-e; then rl art u for 1969 are more numerous than usual. It is not ocrtaln to what extent times reports indicate a true lnoronne In tho number of dead pups. Tits publicity in the looe.l and national press, nd on telnvi''ion, list the addition'll effeot of causing a greater proportion of dead seals to lie reported. It-od neiilo are not usually reported to tho lttPCA or Mr. Jones becaune they are p int human aid. Ilf the uealo whioh died, 9 were subjected to a full post-mortem exami nation nnd 2 others wero professionally examined. Four living pups were exnuiin-'d at Mr. Jones* neal oanctuary. Ono of these, collected t I'ortreeth on A Neoember, won a fot and healthy pup witli an estimated weight of about 60 lbu| It appeared well able to. fend for itself. MONS 033795 A pup (77^y) the I'.mit'? -I.*;/ at (IndpiVy * i.* k; in jn-,iT t ! U r, U /\y il/i and h-d noveral IrJ lr...j(nrVt: on bivt.y , i: inti Jr j* to 1.1111v, i HH,IWt,,tJ ty adwil inmlr? mi jn<* *: not .wn v.diich :' tI i t' j t. iflg. KT* )lii clgnU 0r gl'ODtt iniVC: t ii Ml. TM ! ftOr* ] V;OU.M h.'iVO bad Mufti I choice o(' nurviving in the wild. It diul from aoeidMU .1 oaui.ui* on 5 Itacami.ar* A third pup wan captured at Newquay on 26 Jlovrmbar and tho fourth nt 3t, Ague* on 16 Kovomhar* Thofto woro fad on ft milk/inargoritie dint with iMtRknrftl* Both uoro very much undeniisad for weaned pupi? and probably weighed About lf> 11>, each. Mr Jones thought they wore not putting on wnigirt properly cunnldni'lng how much thoy ato* One hud some superficial eye infection from which the org.-nii.Mmn Cmy/no bacterium pyogynnn ml iVrudomno-in icru^.inou't. were im*r<u-d, Holh pupn protiuend n thick nanal mucu (riu did two cider o*;ilrt nt tli sanctuary)* Thin rnuoun yielded on oulturo an organism of tho genus Protons and Ksohoriahia poll, It in unlikely that any of then orgunlomfi wan Uirectfy rcuponaibu't or tho poor condition of tho pup. C. r>.yo,n>neo iu often present normally on imimum membrnneu nncl skin; K. ooli and I'rot cun, both enterobacteria* aro widely distributed an non-pathogenio organisms * bat may cmina infeotlonn* ad can I v i* iwf uiimi inn, The remains of a pup oaroass found at St. Agnes on A Pocombor wore examined. Thn animal had boon dead about six weak and the head .and the anterior part of the body wore missing* It weight at death wa* entimated at about 20 lbe. It wao probably either a utill-birth or n starveling which had received no milk from its mother, . The findings of the poct-mortem examination of ten other minis are rmniinarieed in Table I* One nonl (77^9) died from accidental anphyxia. One (6022) won found to be suffering from pneumonia, but only tho lungs wore available for examination* Two (6007 and 7620) were recorded as dying from,neptioaemia. The cause of death of tho remainder woo diagnosed an a Larvation* Kith the exception of 77^9 which died from accidental causes* end `/I'lfO, the body weights of the remaining seven animals ware nil 35 Iho* or ltuir, `Die average weight of a Qrey neul pup at birth in about 31 lbs, and* under normal feeding* it roaches a weight of botween 00 and 100 lhu, by its seventeenth diyy of life* when it is wanned (Couleon * Hick ling, l^Cd). Mont drey seal pups in Cornwall and the couth-weet generally are born in late September and Ootober (Jlavieu* 1937) no th.it it io highly probable all the pups examined were well pant the ago of normal weaning* Thus nl) pupa weighed (except 7620) were groswly underfed. 7397 wlitnii weighed only 1? Jb, had the Ictrest weight ever recorded for a Orey real pup* 7620 wan estimated to be 65 lbs, but the post-mortem report said there wan "Dome degree of starvation" Probably thin estimate wan muoh too high; a pup weighing 65 lhn io plump and fat with a well-developed blubber leyor and would uliow no 'signs of Qtarvation, ' Various orgariouie wore oulturod from the seals ewnminod* Bncherichia oolj wan raooverorf from five of the sperimruu* np from one end ` fttreptooooci from two* Then# organism*! ar probably n:>mll.y pron^ixt an non-p.aiic'gens* but they cm Joad to noplicno'niu (no in in an animal in ioor condition, Pafitnra^l.i /nuHoci.d.'i ( * [** mynt ica ) in pathogenic for a large number of difforant anii;3n, M1 rohnbly iho wont important role that r:>njLnn31a multocidq ployn in disease io tint of n nocond.iry inviider whuit Ihe rcoitttanca "of the Aiiima) ha0 l*on rciluced by various otroniN U'1 (LV-rrhunt & Packer, 1967 PP 339~3/1(0* Hanturnlln hnewolytica is also .vn important secon dary invador. Aw with P, muliocida envjrunmental iactorn are thought Io hr important in letding to infection. MGNS 033796 .1. Ki fiii four of tlio imimalu exnmi.ned no or,'; niiri.tn rn.-P! Ur cwlLur.Tliio n-ii ovo'-Jily dun to the antibiotic therapy tiny h.-nl uhijo m gr .limn' o.trn. ILvnpleu of tinnueu from specimens 7^43 7* 47 and yfj? were subjected in e vino)epjm 1 examination by the Votorinory Investination Centro, hriiitol. Heriullu uorn nil negative. Tim bacteriological findings show tlml anal doathr. warn not dun to any opnlnniir- disease. Tiio pneumonia and soptioaeinia diagnosed probably mprenonLTMl llm terminal ntegiis of o doolinc duo to look of food f rather tlian tlm infliction of :in othnruioo healthy animal. l>ingnos*n, weights and hacUrinlogical nKinninntiouo Indicate that the primary oouuo of doittli wait iiu.lnutriti'iii. An tlm animals examined represent 25 per cent of the total i-i'liahly M*|>orteii dnnd ( a very high poroentage for an opisode of thin kind ) it in juetif1able to ft x tin id this oonolunion to the mortality as a whole, l'nnmble causes of thiu starvation are diecuuned later. The adult coals at the Lizard Deports were received of sick adult aealn at the Lizard. Tho Seals limienrch Officnr visited the Lizard and interviewed two pouple who Imd neon thane neulnt the following is a synopsis of their account. A mnmbnr of tho crew of the Lizard lifeboat saw a large seal, about 6 feet in length, on the old slip on the afternoon nf ?fi llovomber. Tt appeared to be gnnptpg through ito mouth and its noutrile wero opening and eloning. Them wan none white muouo around the nostrils arid mouth and the soul wiped at itn faoo with its flippers, flitches of fuel-oil wbre present on the body (thin io usually seen on seals in this area) but on the aides of the neck won what tau doscribcd as a "burnt patch" where the fur had gone. This was not th sort of mark that oould have boon eaunod by ontanglomont with n rope. Tho following day a pup wno eenn on the slip. The pup appeared to linvn a nore eyn ourroundod by mattery grease tsit it wan lively end rtp'ppeil et the lifftboutimin'e beats. It is not uaunl to son seal pups ut the Lizanl but lynmice Cova and Soapy Cove usually produce u few pups e tch year. On PR Uovembor a big seal was seen witli a raw band around ito nock. This uaal was gasping and Its back jerked in a convulsive way. On the ofto moon of 29 t.'ovombor a vary big final was Horn on the nlin and wen approached to within two yarde. Its upper lip was rolling hick .and its eyes had a glased appearance. It wipnd its fuoe with its fllp|iom. Tie miimul give off utesm from its akin. On Sunday 30 Hcvumbar, throughout tlio low water in tbs middle of the day, a very large nral was tiohoro on a rocl*.. This wan approached to within three yardn. The seal watt lively and aggressive and harked at the lifcboitnrui. On the right side of ito neck wan a patch shout five or* nix inclimi in .Unmetor, from which the hair had gene. Tho skin wan 'rising up' aid though it wan not bleedis,; them was an ooze from it. It w in pocnible In see the flesh and rlii to Cihve`1. A companion, of tho ltfebontiiinii, present nl the tinse and whe lied bean corroborating this .-ICConet, oniil that the lesion ri-iii'r.l'l' d :m uvargi nun O'tlUt! ring-U'.nm. tin tho loft side ol' the neci: was a pitch ef about the niliii>. niv.e. Mere tlie li-iir wan present lint wan mstie.l by a greasy and in.itn.iry lUouh.-iigu. Tho uo.al rubbed ut those pulnhei. with itn flippern from liii.r to lime. MONS 033797 Tli** 11 rebo.itm.ii: thought that the leniomi dmioribed wuni .mliii.ir.v lil wound):. lie uoid tho akin lu.il not boon lonu Ho o.n: in re that ll.e ndult II'-,: 111 nightnil on thooe four ooeaniono wore all uopnr.i le nnimOu. A loool riohorvion gave a similar, blit 3ono crtonn: vr, account and iHWHJfli't"'1 lh.it i nil ooen on Sunday mf. l.t hove r,;U",M li.' n>). In a lobotnr pot or a wrook whan hunting for brown or conger. Hono of than* boo In was eenn after Sunday 30 November. A report of onaln with "burn marks" round tliotr necka at I.iwl'u End was mudo to the RSPCA Inspector at Penzance, but the aaimnln could not be 1 ooatwl. The denerlption given of tbene lesions tallien with Innionn nbnervnit by members of the 3oalo Research Unit on both Grey and Common non Is off Sunt Anglin and in tho Wash. Their aetiology lo unknown but their appo.irnnco oorrespondn with a lone-standing ulcerative condition of the okin with baoterinl and possibly fungal infection. It is not possible to make a diagnosis of the condition reported in Cornwall as no spaoimoni have boon secured and no qunllfiod porenno lutve seen theee usalo. A similar ulcerative lesion with nsorotio areas has been doncribsd from tho dolphin Lngsnorhvnohuo oblluuidenu (Johnson Ik Ridgway, 1969). Poeudomonas aonniinooa whm ioolated from this lesion; tha same organism was identified from tho infaoted eye of n seal in the present investigation. It Bsama most likely that theae leuionn are duo to secondary InfeatIon of a minor wound on a seal that is in poor oondition. Superficial wounds in seals tako a long time to heal ns tha lowered akin temperature eausod by immersion in water hinders tir.-uuo repair. If tha saaln soan at the Lizard ware bulls, which seems likely as nil wore daeerlbed as large, thon the naok losions were on the aroa most often wounded during fighting in the breeding season. The significance of the gasping reported in two of the seals is rot known. Seals sometime suffer from lung-worms, but this would cuunu them to oougli, not gasp. If tha seals were suffering from pneumonia, as n result of loss of oondition and subsequent infedtlon, they might nhow reoplrntory dietrose. Seals never normally Inhale through tho mouth. Some adult seals might .bt expected to bo in poor oondition at the end of tho breeding season, but thsrs is nothing to oonneot the deaoribed oondition of the adult seals at the Lizard with.the roportu of deed and dying pups. '' Tho question of pollution MONS 033798 Mention has boon made of public fours of envi roiimbntnl polnoning, aroused by the deaths of sea birds in the Northom Irinh Sen earlier in the nutumh of ip69. The oxlnteneo of a Ministry of Defence (MOh', experimental eotnblinhmsnt near I'ortrenlh nuturnlly added to this epoculation about pollution. Kith this in mind, signs of poiooiiing wore enpocinUy look'll Per. No evidence lias come to light that ailhor Uie (lonthn of tho pupa or tho coalition of tho sick udult aoalo were oaurwd hy pel lui 101. ') I '.jronliig, either chronic or aeute. 5, There wore no ut&vi of gastritic or ontci'itin (apart frym that nijnooiutcd with sopllcuemia in two caono) in any of tlio pupa examined pout-mortran. Tho Uonoriptlon of the uid:adult ooalu doon not allow diagnosis but it lo very uni U:oly thet the loolonu obaorved could hsro rooultod in chronic poisoning. It oould bo apooulntcd thut they worn enuned by acute contact wit)] u corroolvo substance, but it is impossible to substantiate or even invoH ticato uuoh a ouggeotion with no opeclmcns available, and it lo thought probable thut thoae leoions reoultod from lnfoctlon of woundo. Ttnmie eamplen from ^ of tlie Corninh oonl pupa wtni annlyned for arganophonphorun anil organochlorine reniduoo. Ho or;;-inopho(iph>'ri>n compounds wore dotoctecl. Orcnnochlorino compoundn looi.ral for ware the paoticlilos dieldrin and DtJT, tho breakdown product!- '>IM and TDI-;, and a group of subotnnoos commonly know no polyolilorin ited bipbonyln or I'OUn. Thee* ooinpoundn are all highly lipophilic ami linnoe round dlnnolvod in the body fat. Previous nnnsy for thene Riibutnncnu in nenln ha;i bean by nnalyoio of blubber camples, but tits emaciated at- l.e of the Corninh soalo allowed only liver to'be routinely uaml, tlio>';:h throe blubber samp]ns were also examined, neuultH for liver ami blubiwr agree when oorreotod for fet content (.'iee Table II), A suckling sssl pup may become contsmlnatod with organoohlorinoo from residuss present in its mother's fat. 3uoh rooldueo might pass through the placenta to contaminate tho .foetus boforo birth or the pup might become contaminated by drinking milk with organoohlorino-opntsminated milk fat. The poooibility of oontemlnatlou through the ekln oxleto, but tho quantity which oould bo involved in tho course of tho pup's Ufa would be minute. Although quantitative data ore looking j.t Is believed that the groat majority of tho organoohlorinos found in seal pups thut have not begun to food for thomeelveo have boon lngosted with tho milk end that the contamination found in the pupa therefore roflonln the gondral contamination of tho seal stock. It follows fren this that the amount of contamination present In a suckling seal pup depends both on the degree of contamination of its mother's milk and the amount of milk it Ims received. If for any reason leas thai tho normal amount of milk Is taken, the total dose of orgonochlcrlueu obtained from the motlior will be smaller than if thn ;mji had taken n l'hll ration of milk. However, If thu depriv'd pup then nubneiiuently starves it will use up wlvit liti In fat It lias but net the dissolved nrganocliloriree. Tin r~!',li. <>r thin In a rine in the concentration of erganoclilorinea in the fat. HONS Tho ultuntlon in thus oxtromely cnmpllcutod. True oonpnrlnomi between ocgHnoohlorino concentrations nun only Im made l'* tho mitrl tlOnnl ntntuu of thn nninulu cunpui-'i.l i;] similar. Ac. all tho Corninh material origtimtod from starving pups, u clans of unlwnls not 033799 fi. , investigated In c&rllor work, It iron decided to compare Die Cornish nrwploa with material obtained from 5 :>oal jnijm, 3 noil nourished and 2 starring, taken in January ly/O from nnotlii-i' colony. Tlio results obtained (uoo Table IT)are not oany to Interpret. A cmpnrInon of values from tho veil nourished and utcrving twain Croo tho Northern colony shows that the oonoontrntion of orgnnoohlorinoo found ie hlghor in tho otnrving pupa. Aa explained earlier thin doea not triply that tho atarvj.iv; neala have rcooived a groatcr quantity of organochlorinon than tho roll nouriohed oooln. In fact tlie opposito ia the or.no, beonuoo tho utiliention of fat by the atnrvlng animals hue concentrated tho orgrnoehlorinoo into tho ana11 amount of fat remaining. As neither of tho starving animals rrrni the Northern cample waa oa emaciated aa any of thn Cornish uouls oxamlnsd (except for 7739), the concentration effool in more marked in tho Cornish seolo. On tho other hand, tho well nourished animals from the northern colony, having resolved more mil.lt fat containing dlaaolrod organochlorino oompotmda frem their mothers' milk, have therefore received a bighor total done of orgenoohlorinee. . When the oonoontratlono of the varioun compounds in the tisoues aro comporod it lu found that dloldrin, EOT and its darivativon 1BE and 'TOE are found In eimllar concentrations in noal rupe from both Cornwall and the northern colony. IJocouue of tne ooncontratien affeot oauoed by starvation it soome likely that dieldrin and EOT pollution in Cornwall in nut aa heavy oa in the area from which the Northern seals were obtained. MOWS 033800 7 T) r.nne appears different for PCIta, and Cornish uonln contain 3 to 10 tiin-ri more than tim no;.In from the North but considerably lean tlinn uonla from Kan l An;;]in, whole Clroy and Common ueola have been found to contain between i'jO and 520 p.p.m. PCB in their blubbor. The difference found in Corninh enalo in in the proportion of PCBa tn oilier organoohlorineo, hut it ehould lie niii|dialned that the eample is small and the material (starved pupa) unusual no no definito conclusion oan be drawn. Tbs toxtolty of organnehlorlnea generally in very imperfectly known. It in believed that when an animal is woll nourished, with umplo fat ren-rv-v, nonnidevnblo oonoentrationo oan lie tolerated. If the nniunl'u nutritional utatm, declines, fat is mstabolissd and the dissolved or;oinochlorinnn am releaned into the blood| such deloteriouo offsets an art known concern I>I>T and diuldrin in birds. PCBs'appear to bo less toxio to hirdo than DDT, No Information at all i* available about the toxioity of orcnnoohlorines to tienln but oven the most heavily oontnininated animals studied, those from Snot Anglin which contained 350-5*0 P.p.m. PCB, 30-36 p.p.m. DPT and 0.0-1.0 p.r.m. dioldrin in their blubber, did not appear to be eurfrering from uny eymptomn that oould be osoribed to poieonin;;. The Ministry of Agriouiture, Fisheriee and Food in currently carry in;; out a monitoring programme to determine the level of orgnnochlorino com pounds in marine organisms and fish in the South-wont. So far no exceptionally high levels have bosn reported. - Other nontamlnsnte Other tisous samples from the Corninh neela were nn.alyond for trnccii of the heavy metals, arsenic, lead and mercury. Tho romilts, together with thone from the aontrol sample of seals from the nocontl colony ure out out in Tublo III. The levels recorded ure of the same order as has been recorded from ninilar organs from other mammals, though the mercury values appear higher, but there ere no data for normal levels in oeals. Deeiden the three elements llBted In the table, a qualitative sc. wan made for other possible toxio elements, but nothing exceptional wan dotacted. It hod been suggested that the . MOD research eutubliohment at Nanookuke, on the cliffs above Portrenth, might be the source of poluonoue effluents, but ell erfluent from the laboratories t Nancekuke is chemionlly treated to render it Innocuous, and it is held in tanka prior to discharge into tho see. Tho effluent is monitored both chemically and biol ogically, using marine organisms, before it io discharged. The uuggention is thus quite unfounded. "What," auknd one national newopnper, "is the nystorloun rod froth in the son Itenonlh Niu.ookukoT" These red waters, neen beneath llancetuke, at Godrovy and elsewhere en tha north Cornish coast, are caused l,y water running from the adits of the tin mines after rain. The phenomenon in well known to Corniulimon and the Hod River, which dinohargoit into Ct. Ivee Hay nbout 11 milo noutli of Godrovy Point, hoc roceivnd ttit name from lliiu. MONS 033801 a.. Reports of ohoalH of dead fich worn ciroulnted. These all appear to ve'-ifce t.n ohoal of young pilchard, found ashore .iiiut to thn wont of Pewlrnr by the keeper of tho Pou-lone light--houuo on 29 October. Thane fiuh were examined hy the Din trict Inopeotor of Kinheriee at Nnwlyn, who went spacimenn to tho HAFT laboratory at Burnham-on-Crouch. These wore analysed for orgnnnchlorino compomv1'', including PCfiu, but no niguifinnnt concentrations were found, It won co.iiluded that this uliool had Btr.indnd ami nuhijoquant ]y dried out. A report of undorsized pollack being oaught suffering from louiona deacribod a 1burnu1, both internal and external, haa also boon widely cireulntod. The Inspaotor of Fisheries oould not subetantinto this report and no upeclmena wore found. Cod and other gadoid fishos like pollack are not infrequently found ouffering from ulcerative lesions. In the oouree of the whole seal lnveutlgation only three deed aoa birdn were foiuid, and although birdo were not especially looked for, thin eeemn n very low figure for the time of the yenr. The lack of reporto of dead bird* in the urea euggeeta there was no gross environmental pollution. Later observations at eea To check whether the mortality at Cornwall in npproaohed totality, a fishing veouel was ohartared on 11 Deoembar to look for surviving pups at known breading looalition (Figure 2) . The Carrack rooks, about 3 miles wast of St. Iven, were first visited. This in e regular hauling plaoa for Qroy seals in tho summer, but is not a breading oito. No seals, either adult or pup, were neon at the Carracks but a very heavy ground swell whloh broke over the landing placeo would have mod# it impossible for the seals to haul out. At the eastern limit of St. Ives Day a young seal wnn seen in tho wntur about 100 yards to the north of Fishing Covei although otained with fuel-oil Olid rather thin about the naok it was hot obviously nick. Another young seal wus seen swimming vigorously in the surf to the weet of Hell's (Couth. At Crane Island a young seal was oeon close to thn rockn, and another wnn assn off Samphire Island and two mort (lightings were made at kulph'o Cupboard. It la possible that these wars of the earns animal. Another young seal was seon Just to the went of Oull Rook. At Oull Rook the tide forms an sddy where flotsam and the bodies of dead onlmnle accumulate, aooordlng to fishermen with loeal knowlodge. No dead seals wars assn hsrs, but two oilsd guillemots were picked out of the tea. The sighting of six or mors, probably seven, yotmg seals off thn coast between aodrevy Point and Portreath lndiontoo a fair survival of pups,-on ths basis of summer sightings cf adults. Only one of the animal" uean (the first sighted) did not eppnar to be in a perfectly healthy condition, but some furthor mortality of young might be oxpeotvd in the couroo of the winter. No adult neals were seen during the trip; thsy were probably lying up in the caves. HONS 033802 Vi ncnnulon Tito primary enune of doath of tho real pupa found on the Cominli ooaet was BtarvntJon, thought to havo boon onuood hy the pup becoming rnperateil from their mot here boforo normal wonning time, The lactation period in Oroy uonle iu vary ohort, lmitir/; lonu than 3 weeke. The mother then Assorts her pup which faste and loose weight, before beginn ing to fond for itaolf. Chile it suekleytho pup pulu on woiglit nt an iiotcmiiihing rate, au much an 51 lbn/day being recorded (Coulnon ft llickling, Vl6A) though probably around 3-4 lbn/day la more usual. The link between the pep and ltn mother, ita only aource of food for tlie firrit three weeko of ita life, la a dolioate one and ahould it be broken early the pitp'a chances of uurvlval aro groatly dooreasad. It Is believod that a pup which hnn not renolied a weight of around 65 lbs by ita lnot milk feed la unlikely to aurvlvo the winter followlnc its birth. Cow eenle are known to lone eontaot with their pups as a result of bad weather or dieturbanoe through crowding effocta or human lnterforenoo. Crowding does not naoenearily Involve largo numbers of oealn; even a small number of nnnla in a oonfined space may oonntitute a ornwd und dieturbanoe to normal bnluiviour mny follow, oo that mortality through oowa 1 ositig oontaet with their offspring is by far tha oommonsst causa of pup death on Cray seal breeding grounds. Starveling pups wander about trying to fend indiscriminately from oowo, or even bulla and othor pupa, and are frequently savagely bitten, Infeotlon of these wounds may occur os t)>e pup's oondltion falls and eventually death may result through aeptleaemla. Tha localities on the North Corniah ooaet where seals are found are all exposed to northerly or westerly weather and most, if not all, the pupa produoed'ln this area are bora in the nea-oaves. Although the caves offer some protection from the weather, tho epaoe inside may be limited, particularly ut high tide, and crowding of the type mentioned above may occur when oven only half a dosen oeale use a ove. A pup whleh ntrnys outside its cave may well have great difficulty in finding its wey beck again, particularly if the entronoe to the save is beneath the water. It is probably the lack of good breeding sites which 1ms limited the Crey seal population in Cornwall. Grey Benin occur most abundantly where the breeding fomales have sooess to sheltered beaches or low grannlnnds behind a beaoh. Hy far the largest eonosntratlon of Oroy ssals in tho South-west in that osntorsd on the tip of Pembrokeshire, from Strumble Hoad to Caldey Island. This area, together with part of the Cardiganshire ooaot, supports a population of about 300 pups, of which rathsr mors than half are born on the islands of Ramoey and Skomer. About 200 Oroy teals live on tho Seilly Ioleo, mainly on the rooky .inlets to the wpst of the Inhabited inlands anil about 60 pupa are produced each year. The number* inhabiting Cornwall aro lesu certain, Tha neala are considerably more diaporaad than at either tl.o Coillies or Pembroke and it atoms likely that their numbers are aildod to in tho summer by animalo from the Pembrokeshire colonies. However, o figure of ?.00-?rj0 sealn fur the Cornish oonut from Hnrtland Point round Land's End to vim Lizard seems rensouiible. Such a population would produoa about 60-75 pupa such year. HONS 033803 10, All it won ooricludeil that about AO pupa were reliably report'd if,.,,t, and than* ware probably non* rtuod a 11 line in which were not fouml (though it. in thought tint limn,' were vary few) thin would represent a high mortalit;.- il' nl) the pnp tnn' from tin Corniuh r.tock. drey ii')n are long-lived animals, life f'pans of up in d<" yearn lairg i-woonlad. 'fliu.v Imve few pradnlorx other tlian linn anil tin adult mortal ily rata, in Ilia aliiiawje of human intori'orrnc*, iu tliun vnry low, nip'll Juvniit.lii Iiiortai 11/, iMlnn, on the other hand, nre the rule at Oruy seal breeding oolonimit. On tin Ininiii of exiuting life table dutu (Hewer 19M) it Imu boon ennumml that on nv*rng* hdX1 of ull pupa din in their firot yeur, mostly noon after birth mill wanning, Thoro io, of eourue, year to year variation mid populatione brand ing nt tho foot of oliffe ara very liable to total mortality of the pupa in iMli weather. A cpell of heavy weiiterly weather is believed to have hilled nearly nil the pupn born at a breeding Rite under the cliffs of honor Hill in Shotland ir I9S9. In Cornwall, saalo art very little, if at all, molested by man. Killer wlmlea, virtually the only seal predator in Bnglioh watoru, are rarely oaan off Cornish comits. As the Cornlah seal stocku do not ahow u rats of increase <;o<i>)Kirable to that observed in the pact quarter-oentury at other Cray anal r,-.Ionian at, for example, the Fame Islands or tho Orkneya, it is concluded that l!m Juvenile mortality rates in Cornwall must,.on avoruge, bo high. The probnhln ranwon for thin ie the look of suitable breeding situs on the inhoopllnble Cornish oonnt. There is a possibility that not all ths pups found dead originated from Cornwall, and the much larger Pembrokeshire population seems a likely source, tinny young seals in Pembrokeshire were marked between 199? and 196? by the West llnlas Naturalists' Trust and of the 6Z marked animals recovered nutaide the marking area 20 have been rooovered on the South-west Peninsula: one from the Hoilly Isles, 15 from Cornwall and 4 Prom Devon. Of tho ?5 animnla marked in 1969 one has already been rooovered from Cornwall. Table IV shows the incidenes of winds of over 20 knotn (corresponding to slightly more then Force 6 on the Beaufort eoale) ae recorded at Milford Haven and Si. Mewgan in September, Ootober and November I9C9. Hindu of thin epeod could create oea conditions bad enough to oause Rome pups In unfuvouniblo aituations to baoome oeparated from their mothera. ; Between ^ and 9 November strong winds blew from between west and north (Table V) with opeods of up to 41 knots. All but 7 of the 40 reports of dead mid dying pups follow thio period of bad weather, <10 it imnm likely that soma of the nnimala reported could have bean drivn by the wind from Pembrokeshire io the Curniuh coaet. It may be noted here that there wee no r.lmilur reported mortality of male from the Pembrokonliiro count. Only two sickly pupa had boon noted at llele- Fort Field Centro by 10 Iwonmber and a repraaeqtetive cif the Hoot Walon Naturalists' Trout ooiuiiders that lhore are only five reliable raeordr of dona or dying pupa, four from around llanorliier mill one from Tonby (Fig. 1). It in highly likely that other d tintha ooourrsd which wore not reported but it iu certain that Un.'iv watt no exceptional mortality in Pembrokeshire. HONS 033804 Summary av.d Conr.lunlen About 40 reports of dead or dying Orey seal pu|>r. on tho Cnrutnh ooruit bntwoon Newquay and Fowey worn received in tli autumn of l|ki<). Kluven of tho dmid umnlo won examined, of whlah 9 woro subjects of full nont-morterns, Tho oauno of death wan dotorminod to bo starvation) no evidcnoo wno found of an epidemic. Four adult seals soon at tlie Lisard at tho end of November had loniorui on tholr nooks. Tliooo looionn are boliovod to bo tho rosult of wounds, rucoivod in fighting during tho brooding noaoon,becoming infootod. Analyoos of tinnuo samples of tho dend seals show that the Cornish osal utooku, like thone from oloewhore in tho British Isles, nro contiiminat'd wi.tlt organoehloiino residues. The levol of pentioido (I)1)T and dioldrln) oontmni.mi.tion iu relatively low but FCB eontoroination in relatively high, though muoli lower than in oeals from East Anglia. The concentration of lend and nruonio in tha Comiuh soal pupo is of tits same order aw that found in othsr mammals. Mercury levels are higher; The seal pups whioh were found dnsil or dying had beoorne separated from tiieir mothers before the normal weening time which ie about tluree weeks after birth, and hud been insufficiently developed to start fending for therm aeIves, The separation was probably oaused either by disturbance or bed weather. Healthy pupa were still to be found on tlm Cornish ooast after the last of tho reports was received. Some of the pupa reported from Cornwall iney have originated from Pembrokeshire. A npell of high winds in early November might have caused pups to drift from Pembrokeshire to Cornwall. . It is ooncluded that the deaths were part of the normal juvenile mortality of the soals, always likely to be high in Cornwall, and that extraneous faotors such aa epidemlos or pollution, wore not Involved. W. Nigel Bonner 3ealo noeeeroh Officer Seale Itssoaroh Unit. Loweatoft. HONS 033805 Tnhlo I Svtnifiury ol poot-morten reports _____ on ten Grey Pool nuns Ko.r.ifo. l>ulc oxruuinod Sex Weight Diagnosis Organisms cultured 60S?. 27.10.69 P. lungs only Pneumonia Paoturella nultoalda 6007 27.10.69 M. 30 lbo. Septicaemia l*03turella multoeldu Escherichia coll 7397 19.11.69 P. 12 lbs. Starvation - 7620 20.11.69 P. (65 lt) Septicnamiai Escherichia coll some degroo of starva tion 7634 29.11.69 - 25 lbs. Starvation (pneumonia) - 7717 3.12.69 P. 22 lbs. Starvation 7789 0.12.69 7843 - 9; 12.69 P. 42 lbs. Asphyxia P. 22 lbs. Starvation Postourella hacmalyt.cn Escherichia ooli Stroptocooai - Eschorlohla ooli Proteus sp 7847 9.12.69 It. 35 lbs. Starvation Escherichia ooli Streptococci 7092 9.12.69 U. 33 lbs. Starvation . * estimatedtclght HONS 033806 1 Tissue Origin CoroiA Pat content per cent 5.2 Concentnation in tissue, F?a vet vei zht Sieldrir ns TEE BIT Total insecti cide orgsncchlorine PC3 0.08 1.9 0.31 0.22 ' 2.51 46 liver Torthen (well nour ished) 9.Q 0.07 0.5 0.09 0.5 1.16- 3.7 northern (starring) 7.6 0.07 1.0 0.15 0.9 2.12 6.2 Cornish 16.7 0.25 6.7 0.69 3.7 11.34 160 Slubber Forthem (sell nour ished) Northern (starving) 86.2 0.38 4.7 0.66 4.4 10.14 34- 73-3 0.57 9.5 l.i6 7-4 18.63 49 ______ --i L- Table XI Synopsis of concentrations of orsanschlorice cospounds In seal tissue. (For full details, see Appendix). MONS 033S0? TABLE HI Concentration!! of Aroenle, Load h Uormiry in Brail tionuen, (ixpwiKnod an miaro^riimu par rxnm dry weight <il' tlnnuo. (Annlynau By B.B. Allan, Uarlnmod .tuoonrcli llnUnn, iluturc Connorvinniy, (livin/'a-ovur-liundn. Lnncnnhire).______ Cuwnintrntlon.skilry woirht Speeimon No. (7043 ( 7047 7852 fit V Jj 7C20 J? 7634 gj 7709 rSj (1) ( HB63 c [ HG66 f( H067 S( E> 1K64 3} o( 11065 Tincne Livor H Livor Kidney Livor n it 11 Arsonio 20 54 3 15 8 1 10 29 Lead 1 <1 1 <1 5 4 3 2 Marouxy 5 5 13 12 8 9 7 11 Livor Kidney Livor Kidney Livor Kidney Liver Kidney Liver Kiilnoy 17 42 <1 '1 3.5 3.5 20 <1 15 <1 2.6 3 4-9 5 3.5 6 2.2 <0.5 0.6 4 1.4 5 4.1 2.1 1 r. 4-3 3 1.4 3 1-- HONS 033808 Tnblo IV Uunbor of hours in tha month with recorded windopeodu of 20 knota or over tit St. Mow,7<n end Milford Haven. (C >ta from Hotuorolonicnl Offloo) St. Uawgan Milford Haven Sontombnr 3 30 Ootobor 31 20 November 171 78 'fable Y AvcrnftO wind spoad and direction for throo days in ilovembor, 19(39, at St. !im(;nn and HU ford Haven, ( fata from Mcteoroloslonl Office) St.Mawftuni 3peo<l Oirootion Milford Haveni Speed Dirootlon 7 19.3 343 12.0 330 Hovombert 8 24.7 208 15.0 286 9 20.2 272 17.9 271 knots ilocreoo knots docroco HONS 033809 Lint of Fif.ur;(i FIq.I. Map to ohotr diotr.lbution of rcporta of do ad and ilyins ooalo on tho Cornlah coaut. Five oimilur roporta from Pombrokoohirs ace also ohown. Fig.2. The ooaet searched for young soals. HONS 033810 ilol'ornncoi) Coultion J.C. & Hickling G. 19^4 Dio breeding biology of tho Uroy oeu.1, llnl.tchooriifi grywio (Pab.) on the fame Inlands, Northumberland. J.Anlm.Keol.33 i 405-51? Davies J.L. 19$7> The geography of tho Gray seal. J.Momma1. ^0 (3) 297-310 Honor ll.it. I9S4. Tho Determination of ago, sexunl maturity, longevity and a lifo-table in the Grey soal (Haliohoorue nxrrnxa). Proo. zool. 800. bond. 142 (4) ' 593-624* Johnston D.G. & Ridgeay S.H. 1969* Parasitism in eoae marine mammals. J. Amor. vet. mod. Aseoo. 155 J 1064-1072 Merchant I.A. & Packer R.A. 1967* Veterinary Daoterlology & Virology. Iowa State University Press. Amer. losa. 7th ed. 1967. X 752 PP* . MONS 033811 Cariccntratiotia of or(;nnoeh.lurlno compound)) ill :ir-nJ tinuiico, I'npiX'i.'ii.iil nu rmts per million, not weight of tlnniiu. (Aimlyuoo hy 1..Y. lloldon, Xrocht/ator Xicherinii l.-ilionitnry, ltopiatmont of Acriculturo & Xiohorioo for Scotland, I'itlocJiiy, Fortlishiro.) . oprebn on iJo. Tioauo r'at Content por oont Concentration in tlsoue, p. p.m. wet Height XHeldrin DDE IDE HOT PCB ( 7043 ( 7047 ( -H'iV. 1 V',::0 8, i 7634 8.( Yj-U? (M ( a) w/ .n Avorugo -i n) ; 7043 i ? 7047 ) 7052 tvorago Livor II II It II II II Blubber II II 4.3 2.3 4.5 4.1 11.1 2.6 6.7 5.2 37.5 0.2 4-4 I6.7 ( 1IC63 ( H06C ( 110(17 Liver II N Xvorar.o ( lKlO] ( HC66 r-<t {( IIC67 2 >Average ii | 11064 y ) 11065 Of \Avornge Blubber n H Liver II > 11064 ) 1UI4i> Blubber M /Avor<v;o 10.0 9-2 7.9 9.0 84.7 67.4 66.6 06.2 7.4 7.8 7.6 00.4 67.I 73.8 < 0.01 0.07 0.11 0.05 0.15 0.04 0.11 0.08 0.44 0.23 0,00 0.25 0.04 0.11 0.07 0.07 0.37 0.50 0.20 0.30 0.0$ 0.00 0,07 0.54 0.59 0.57 0.9 0.15 1.0 1.3 1.2 0.57 1.0 < 0.04 1.6 < 0.02 1.0 < 0.02 5.1 < 0.04 1.9 0.31 0.4 0.1 0.0 < 0.03 < 0.04 < 0.04 < 0.00 0.22 17 36 77 31 43 26 90 46 8.7 1.1 4.5 173 0.1 0.69 5.0 107 3.2 ` 0.27 1.7 110 6.7 O.69 3.7 160 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.5 6.0 4.9 3.3 4.7 0.7 1.3 1.0 10.3 0.6 9-5 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.06 0.65 O.46 0.66 0.09 0.21 0.15 1.17 1.15 1.16 0.7 5.2 ) 0.4 3.0) 0.3 2.2) .) 0.5 i i 6.5 4.1 34 M 2.6 ?5 a ) (C 4.4 34 ) 0.6 3.9 ) 1.2 0.4 ) ) 0.9 6-2 j * 7.6 50 )!., 7.2 7-4 ' 40 j MQNS 033812 t| 1. flap la *<ve-io -ftpc/Gi Oj^U ^ji|Sf(!tSnvfe(W^ lOCilfc . five* S**^iIav -rtjKNti ^xto*v Vot^VtlirtUlVV o-fct; . mqns 033813